City agencies kick off training for flood protection ahead of hurricane season
Crews from the OEM, DEP and other agencies came together to learn how to construct tiger dams for flooding safety.
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Members of New York City’s agencies took part in a special training at the Brooklyn Army Terminal to ensure they’re reading for the hurricane season.
Crews from the city’s Office of Emergency Management, Department of Environmental Protection and other agencies worked on using “tiger dams," a critical line of defense that helps keep the city one step ahead of floods.
“The people that are relying on these critical infrastructure facilities need this to be there all the time,” said Suzan Rosen, emergency mitigation program manager for the Office of Emergency Management.
Tiger dams are orange tubes that help to divert as much stormwater as possible, and after setup require little manpower or heavy machinery to operate. They’re found at places such as the Hunts Point Food Market and wastewater treatment plants around the city.
Kyle Roussel, director of operations for U.S. Flood Control, says that every minute counts when preparing for a potential flood, and why it’s essential for the city’s agency workers to be able to set up and operate these tiger dams efficiently and effectively.
"When preparing for a potential flood, every minute counts. That's why whenever they're setting these Tiger Dam, we're told it can take anywhere between 20 to 30 minutes for one tube to be filled with water,” said Roussel. "You might have 24-hour notices so you need a system that can be deployed rapidly."
Training is scheduled to continue through Thursday.
